Karl Jenkins

SIR KARL JENKINS: CANTATA MEMORIA – FOR THE CHILDREN

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster in Wales, Sir Karl Jenkins has composed a major new choral work, Cantata Memoria – For The Children.

Cantata Memoria was commissioned by S4C, the Welsh language TV channel, to mark 50 years since the Aberfan disaster, when 116 children and 28 adults lost their lives after a colliery waste tip collapsed and engulfed Pantglas school and nearby houses, devastating the local community in South Wales.

Penclawdd-born composer Sir Karl Jenkins says, “It was a huge honour to be asked to write this work. Apart from depicting the disaster itself, Cantata Memoria is also a celebration of childhood, gradually moving from darkness to light. I felt privileged and humbled to have been invited to compose this piece, whilst also being mindful of the responsibility the commission carried to create something with integrity and accessibility that would connect and move everyone. Paradoxically, dealing with a subject that lies so deep in the soul of the Welsh was both a harrowing and uplifting experience.”

Bryn Terfel adds, “Cantata Memoria is a deeply powerful commemoration of such a sad tragedy in Wales. It has been an honour watching and hearing the piece develop into what will be a work of major significance in Welsh culture and beyond.”